James Van Der Beek Opens Up About Losing 3 Babies And Says ‘We Need A New Word’ For Miscarriage

James Van Der Beek penned an emotional open letter on Instagram where he revealed that his wife Kimberly has experienced three miscarriages in her life. The couple now has five children, but James got real about his family’s personal struggles to conceive.

In a long Instagram post, the actor suggested that we rename the word “miscarriage” to something that doesn’t “suggest fault for the mother — as if she dropped something, or failed to ‘carry.'”

“From what I’ve learned, in all but the most obvious, extreme cases, it has nothing to do with anything the mother did or didn’t do. So let’s wipe all blame off the table before we even start,” he wrote.

He also opened up about the pain and heartbreak that comes with a miscarriage and how his family experienced it. He also gave other couples this sweet advice: “[Don’t] judge your grief, or try to rationalize your way around it. Let it flow in the waves in which it comes, and allow it [its] rightful space. And then… once you’re able… try to recognize the beauty in how you put yourself back together differently than you were before.”

While all miscarriage experiences are different, James wrote, “Many couples become closer than ever before.”

Check out the following video for more from James and his touching tribute to mothers.